I recently found myself sitting in the warm Texas sun with a few beers, some of the best barbecue in Dallas and friends visiting from all over -- Australia, Zimbabwe, South Africa and a few from the States.

Two topics kept coming up in our conversation: travel and the global economy. All of these friends travel the world regularly, and nearly all happen to be in finance or the travel industry, so they've got a bird's-eye view of the international tourism climate.